Mr. Peter Albert (34), Lab Technician in Voluntary Testing Laboratory of APAC Project met with a tragic road accident on 10.04.2008. Mr. Albert was returning from work after collecting blood samples for the VCTC from a place called Aralvaimozhi which is 15 km. from our office. On the way back to the VCTC, a bus collided with the motorbike he was riding and he was killed instantly. He is survived by his wife Veni aged 31 and two daughters Precilla (7) and Angel (8). Peter Albert was a conscientious worker, very much devoted to the job he was doing. His untimely demise will be an irreplaceable loss for CHARDEP and for every one of his colleagues. We were able to help the family in procedures such as filing a legal case, post mortem etc. Since his wife (a house wife till now) is also qualified to be a lab technician, she has been promised her husband’s job after her period of mourning.

CHARDEP on behalf of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) – India is conducting cultural programmes for creating awareness on Tuberculosis. Our cultural team conducted the final rehearsals at CHARDEP Training Hall on 22.04.2008. Subsequently, cultural programmes were successfully conducted on 28.04.2008    at Keelamanakudy, Pallam and Melamanakudy villages.

BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha had helped CHARDEP undertake extensive relief and rehabilitation work in Kanyakumari district following the tsunami disaster as supply of relief materials, cow donation in non-fisherfolk tsunami affected villages, establishment of slipper making units in fisherfolk villages and provision of coir rope making equipment. We were glad to have their representatives with us for three days. Anandsagar Swami of Chennai BAPS Mandir accompanied by another Swami, Mr.Pillai, a BAPS devotee from London, Mr.Nirav Joshi a devotee from Pondichery, and Mr.Rajagopal a devotee visited the villages which had benefited from their charitable efforts and conducted sat sang in Keezhachatuvanthoppu, Selvanputhur and Elanthavilai villages

The APAC-VHS funded HIV/AIDS Prevention Project is proceeding at a smooth pace. We have opened Drop in Centres (DICs) at Marthandan and at Vellamadam in Kanyakumari District. Here the Sex Workers, Transgender People, Men who have Sex with Men and people who engage in risky sexual behaviour can come and talk to a counselor. They then can test for HIV infection. The atmosphere maintained at these DICs is very casual and the people who come in can play indoor games or read magazines and newspapers.

CHARDEP has been given the responsibility of promoting the new ‘No-Scalpel Vasectomy (NSV)” drive of the Department of Health in Kanyakumari district. No-scalpel vasectomy is painless, takes only a few minutes, does not require sutures and is safe. After the procedure, the person can leave the hospital immediately. It is simpler than the tubectomy procedure that requires women to be hospitalised. We see this advancement not only as a favourable  medical development but as a sharing of the responsibility of permanent contraception (so far borne by women)  by men.

The Cultural Team of CHARDEP had recorded an audio CD of awareness songs highlighting the need for population control and the advantages of the NSV procedure. The songs had been composed and sung by Mr. Tharmarajan, a talented staff of CHARDEP. This CD was released at a public function by Ms.Jothi Nirmala, IAS, the Collector of Kanyakumari district.

The Emergency Ambulance Service and the Patient  Counselling Centre Programmes supported by the TamilNadu Health System project are proceeding as per plan and are yielding the expected results.

Regarding Women Empowerment Programmes, CHARDEP is supporting women to form Self Help Groups (SHGs), providing trainings in various trades and enables the groups to access credit from Banks for investment capital. In March 2008, a total of Rs.11.90,000 was thus provided. But this system of credit linkage is insufficient to meet the needs of the 1,055 SHGs we have formed so far.
The answer is for CHARDEP to function as a Micro Finance Institution (MFI). This we have already started and in the last year, one crore rupees was accessed and provided by CHARDEP directly to the SHGs. We need much more than this to address the present need and hence would greatly appreciate any guidance and help in accessing bulk loans for our micro finance operations

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has planned to support a Post Tsunami Sustainable Livelihood Project in Kanyakumari District. The coastal belt has been divided into seven clusters of villages for implementation of this project. We have applied for the opportunity of being the implementing agency in five of the seven clusters. A proposal detailing the strategies that would be adopted to create sustainable livelihoods has been submitted by us and the response from IFAD so far has been heartening.

Utilising a small grant we received from the Ministry of Environment, we conducted awareness programmes in agricultural villages to make people conscious of the pitfalls of overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. They were taught about the more bio-friendly alternatives such as organic manure, vermicompost preparation, and the various ways in which neem can be used to great advantage in agriculture. Now, planting of neem trees is being promoted by us by supplying neem saplings free of cost.